China has offered to help safeguard the safety and security of the piracy-prone Straits of Malacca, Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy said in a report today.

Chan said that straits security was one of the major discussion points during his recent visit to Beijing, particularly because 85 percent of China's oil supply is transported through the waterway.

"China has suggested helping Malaysia with ensuring security in the straits without infringing on the sovereignty of the other littoral states," he told the Star newspaper.

Chan said the assistance would come in the form of information exchanges and sending experts to train Malaysian maritime personnel.

"China has also proposed a Memorandum of Understanding on maritime cooperation between the two countries, and Malaysia has agreed to it," he said.

"They will be sending a team of experts here this month to work towards the final preparations of the MoU."

Sovereignty

Malaysia's Defence Minister Najib Razak said last month that Australia, Britain and New Zealand may also play a role in securing the Strait, but that the sovereignty of bordering states would be safeguarded.

The Malacca Strait which separates Malaysia and Indonesia is one of the world's most important waterways, with 50,000 ships carrying about one-third of the globe's trade passing through it each year.

However the waterway is notoriously vulnerable to pirate attacks and governments in the region also fear it could be a tempting target for terrorists.